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Nevada Elk Breakdown

Nevada Antelope Breakdown

Nevada's 2026 elk and antelope application overview

Note: The application deadline for all Nevada species is May 13, 2026, by 11:00 p.m. PT. You can apply online here.

State Information

Important dates and information

*Applicants who want to build bonus points if they are unsuccessful in the draw will need to purchase a hunting license or hunt/fish combo license. If they do not purchase the hunting license, they will not be given a bonus point. Tag fees will only be charged if you are successful in the draw. You do not have to front tag fees when you apply.

Drought analysis

Nevada is historically one of the driest states in the nation, and unfortunately, this trend hasn't moved in a positive direction this winter. Snowpack totals in the higher elevations across the state are mostly in the 30% range. The one bright spot, if you can call it that, is that the eastern central portion of the state is in the 60% range. Despite February snowstorms across much of the best wildlife habitat, Nevada has continued to heat up and dry out in recent weeks. Currently, the eastern portion is in moderate to severe drought. The western portion is faring somewhat better, but is still abnormally dry.

Compared with last winter, Nevada is drier across the northern 2/3 of the state. So what does that mean for antler growth? Last fall was a good year for elk hunters, although I would not suggest it was a banner year for antler growth. Projecting into 2026, I believe it will be a decent year for elk antler growth, but it's not going to be a great year and likely a bit down from 2025. There is still time for spring rains to improve feed and antler growth but with recent record temperatures and predicted drier than normal summer conditions, it's unlikely.

Antelope shed their sheath every year, typically through November and December. The new horn is growing in under the existing horn, causing the sheath to shed, and by the end of March and April, the upper portion of the horn with the new prong and curl has grown in. By May, almost all of the length and prongs are developed. During the summer months, a buck adds length to the horn below the prong, and mass is added.

Since horn growth begins so early in the year, winter conditions are important to good growth. Looking at the start to this year's moisture and feed conditions in Nevada, antelope bucks will have had a good start. Body conditions should be in good shape, but the concern is that if the state doesn't get some spring and summer moisture that horn growth may not be as good as it could be. Last year, there were some giant bucks taken in Nevada, and I think 2026 will also produce a handful of mid-80s bucks. Personally, any time you can draw an antelope permit in Nevada, I think you have the potential to find and kill a great buck, and I don't think 2026 will be any different. Will it be a banner year? Time will tell, but with a few spring and summer rainstorms, it could be!

2026

2025

2024

2023

2022

2021

The draw system

Understanding the draw

Nevada has a random weighted bonus point draw system. Every applicant who applies has a chance to draw the tags they applied for; however, bonus points increase the chances of being successful in the draw over time. The Nevada tag quota split for residents and nonresidents is approximately a 90/10 split.

Bonus points

Nevada has a bonus point system where applicants will receive one bonus point for each year they apply and are unsuccessful in the draw. You must buy a hunting license when you apply if you wish to receive a bonus point after the draw. Applicants who do not buy the hunting license will not receive a bonus point. Bonus points are species specific. For example, you cannot apply bonus points you have accrued for antelope towards an elk application. Applicants can apply for bonus points only if they do not want to select hunts. We recommend that applicants apply for hunts and not points only. Remember that the draw is random, so you have a chance to draw and you will receive a point if you are unsuccessful in the draw. The only reason not to apply for hunts is if you cannot afford the cost of the tag should you draw it or the time off of work. 

Bonus points are squared in the draw. For example, if you have five bonus points, you will have 26 chances in the draw (5 x 5 + 1 (this year’s application) = 26). If an applicant draws a tag or fails to apply for two consecutive years, the bonus points will be purged.

Hunt choices

Applicants can apply for up to five choices when they apply. When an application is considered in the draw, the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) will attempt to allocate the first choice. If all permits are gone for that hunt, they will attempt to allocate the second choice. If all tags are gone for your second choice, they will attempt to award you a tag for your third choice. They continue through all five hunt choices before moving to the next applicant. Thus, applicants could draw any of their five hunt choices. 

Due to this process, applicants should include hunts for all five choices to increase their chances of drawing a tag. Also, applicants should stagger their hunt choices from best hunt (worst odds) to better odds (decent hunt). If you were to apply inversely (best odds to worst odds), you are essentially wasting your latter hunt choices.

Group applications

Nevada allows hunters to apply on a group application for deer, antlerless elk and antelope (horns shorter than ears). Residents and nonresidents can apply together on a group application. Doing so does not increase odds for a nonresident; the nonresident tags will still come from the nonresident quota. Applying as a group does have the potential to negatively impact odds slightly as Nevada will not over-allocate tags to cover a group application if there are not enough tags to satisfy the size of the group. Bonus points for a group application are averaged and rounded to the nearest whole number. 

If a group application has been drawn and the group wants to return their tags to have bonus points reinstated, every member of the group must return their tag.

Draw order

The draw will be conducted in the following order:

The draw order allows applicants to apply for all species and sex that they wish to hunt without the issue of drawing a lower-tiered tag. Applicants are only allowed to draw a single tag for each species. 

Surrendering tags

Within seven days of the results of the draw, applicants who successfully drew a tag can choose to electronically return their tag. Hunters who drew an elk or antelope tag can turn them back in up to one day prior to the start of the season. In this case, they will retain their bonus points and gain one for this year’s application.

Secondary draw

Any remaining tags after the main draw will become available in a second drawing to both residents and nonresidents. If you apply and draw a tag in the second drawing, your bonus points will be purged. Online applications for the second draw are due by 11 p.m. on June 26, 2026.

Leftover and returned tag process

All mule deer, antelope, black bear, elk, mountain goat, and bighorn sheep tags that remain after the secondary draw and any returned tags that have not been claimed by an eligible alternate will be listed and sold on a first-come, first-served basis through the NDOW licensing system. The first-come, first-served program generally opens in early July. Bonus points will be purged if you purchase a leftover or returned tag. 

As previously stated, applicants who drew a tag can return their deer, elk, or antelope tags up until one day prior to their hunt starting. If the tag is not accepted by an alternate, it will be listed randomly on the first-come, first-served list and can potentially be purchased. For 2026, to purchase a resident returned tag, you must be a Nevada resident. A nonresident of Nevada can only purchase a tag that was originally drawn and returned by a nonresident. 

Unlocking Nevada's system

Generally speaking, Nevada has taken a high-quality, limited opportunity approach to game management, mostly due to the fact that Nevada is historically a very dry state, and carrying capacity is lower than in other western states. If you buck the odds and draw an elk or antelope tag in Nevada, the opportunity to tag out on a trophy animal is very good. The primary issue for nonresidents is that there are very few permits issued, and the odds of drawing are extremely tough. 

If you decide to begin to apply in Nevada, you must understand that, under their current draw system, there is a high likelihood that you may never draw a bull elk tag — even for archery hunts in mid- to low-tier trophy quality areas. Antelope permits are also tough to draw, but the odds for some archery antelope hunts are better. Applying in Nevada is a cost/value analysis for nonresidents. It is expensive for a nonresident to buy the license, apply, and build points year after year. If you apply for all species and are willing to apply for primitive weapons or less than prime season hunts that have better odds, it may be worth it. I personally look at Nevada as a state where you can hunt deer and possibly antelope with a bow every three to 10 years. That keeps me applying in hopes that I will also get lucky and draw an elk and/or bighorn sheep tag along the way. The quality is very good; the tags are just hard to come by.

A few application tips for Nevada:

Nevada is arguably the best state in the West for producing big bulls. While Nevada does not issue that many tags to nonresidents, for those who do draw a tag, the opportunity to hunt mature bulls is incredible. As I already touched on in the drought and snowpack section of this article, Nevada is a dry state, and this winter has not been good in regard to moisture. While I would not anticipate 2026 to be a great growth year, there will still be many 350"+ bulls taken this fall. Most of those bulls are likely to come from the higher elevation units and units that are more stringently managed for quality bulls. The best units in the state are 111-115, followed by 221-223, and perhaps 231, 104, 108, and 121. As you might imagine, those are also among the hardest hunts to draw. If you are really only interested in hunting the best bulls, those units should be among the short list of options you should apply for.

One of the most common questions every year about Nevada elk hunting is should I apply? The cost to apply in Nevada is also among the more expensive states, but, once again, the quality of bulls is very good so it may be worth it depending on what your personal objectives and financial situation is. My advice for each applicant is to review the draw odds and do a cost-benefit analysis to see if applying makes sense. I would suggest that any applicant who buys a hunting license to apply and earn bonus points should apply for every species they are interested in to improve their odds of drawing a tag of some kind over time. Also, remember that you can apply and choose to receive a refund for the hunting license if you are unsuccessful in the draw. In that case, you would not receive and accrue bonus points over time, but that is an option.

Nevada offers archery, muzzleloader, and rifle seasons. The archery hunts tend to produce the biggest bulls. Bowhunters get the first opportunity, and given that tags are hard to draw, hunters put in more time for scouting and hunting. The bow hunt is early in Nevada, with most units offering archery hunts from Aug. 25 to Sept. 16. There are a couple of units (061/071, 062/064/066-068) that have an archery hunt that occurs from Aug. 16 to 31. Those hunts typically have the best draw odds, but hunters are unlikely to experience any part of the rut and should plan on spot and stalk or ambush style hunting. Even though the archery hunts in Nevada are early, hunters regularly report a good rut hunt where the bulls are vocal, and calling is effective. That is probably due to the high bull-to-cow ratios, and as previously stated, the archery hunts are the best hunts.

The muzzleloader hunts in some units occur during some part of the rut. Units 161-164/171-173 and 241/242 have been rotated to Sept. 17 to 30. Muzzleloader hunts in Units 072-074 and 075 will occur from Oct. 5 to 21. All of these should be good rut hunts. Other September muzzleloader hunts will occur in Units 051, 061/071 and 062/064/066-068. The other units have muzzleloader hunts that occur from Oct. 22 to Nov. 5. The late hunts are more challenging to find the bigger bulls and many of the bulls will have broken tines, but tag holders should still see a good number of bulls and have opportunities to kill. Overall, the muzzleloader hunts are great hunts and definitely worth considering and applying for.

Most rifle hunts in Nevada are late-season hunts where the weather is cold, and snow is not uncommon. The bulls will have pulled away from the cow/calf herds and will have found pockets of refuge where they can regain weight after the rut. Finding the bigger bulls on the rifle hunts can be tough. There are a couple of units that have early rifle hunts; those are going to be Units 051, 061/071 (which has two October rifle hunts), 072-074, 075 early, 078/105-107/109, and 091. The rifle hunt success rates are typically not as high as people might think. The reasoning behind that is due to the fact that bulls can be tough to find, the hunts are more physically demanding, and the weather is much more challenging to deal with later in the year. 

Overall, Nevada does not have the population of elk that other neighboring states have, but what they lack in numbers they make up for in quality. The odds of drawing a tag in Nevada are steep — there’s no sugar coating that — but where the draw is completely random, and your odds improve over time as you build bonus points, it’s worth applying for if you dream of hunting giant bulls.

Current elk herd condition

The elk population in Nevada is stable. Most units are at or slightly above objectives, with some units that have struggled with drought conditions starting to decrease. The estimated elk population is approximately 17,750.

Managing points and expectations

Maximum bonus points for elk: 34

Nevada is a great antelope state, and there were several book bucks taken in 2025, and given that light winter, 2026 should be a great year once again. Antelope seem to do well in mild winters, and I'd expect the horn growth to be good. In saying that, the once-renowned units in northwest Nevada are not doing nearly as well as they once were, and there are not the numbers of great bucks coming from those areas. The north central and central portions of the state seem to be the current hot spots for better bucks.

When looking at the number of bucks that are 15"+ year over year, there has been a downward trend since about 2016. Statewide, in 2016, approximately 32% of the bucks taken were 15"+. That number bottomed out in 2021 at about 12%. It has improved since, but in 2025, the number of bucks taken statewide that were 15"+ was approximately 22%. The decrease in overall trophy quality is likely due to the severe drought in 2020-2021 and the fact that once-prolific units in the north west are struggling. Nevada is still worth applying for if you hope to get a chance at a great buck, hunters will just have to hunt harder and be much more patient than they were ten years ago.

Nevada offers archery, muzzleloader, and rifle hunts. Most hunts allow hunters to hunt during some portion of the rut. Early archery hunters can use water to their advantage to ambush hunt or attempt to spot and stalk one of the most challenging animals in the West. The rifle hunts have very high harvest success numbers, but the key to killing a great buck is being patient and looking over a number of bucks until you find the one you like. If you are hoping to hunt an area with better trophy potential, pay attention to the hunts and units with good 15”+ horn height percentages in the table below. Draw odds for antelope tags in Nevada are not good, but they are better than other species like elk and bighorn sheep. There were four archery antelope hunts that offered 10% plus draw odds at the five-point level. Understandably, 10% odds for an archery antelope tag after applying and building points for five years is not good, but the trophy potential is, and if you apply for all species in Nevada, I think it’s worth it. The rifle and muzzleloader odds are, again, very low. Plan on applying for antelope as long as you are also buying the hunting license and applying for other species. Antelope represents one of the better draw odds opportunities, along with mule deer, to draw some sort of tag in Nevada.

Current antelope herd condition

Managing points and expectations

Maximum bonus points for antelope: 31

Additional application opportunities

There are also three other chances to draw a Nevada tag. Get a full breakdown of Nevada's Partnership in Wildlife, Silver State, and Nevada Dream Tags at the link below:

Partnership in Wildlife

Partnership in Wildlife tags (PIW) offer the ability to hunt in any open unit in the state, although the season dates and weapon class for each hunt unit apply.

Basically, this is a statewide hunting tag for that species, but you must follow the season dates and legal weapon for that season.

Applications are $10 per species. Apply in Nevada's main draw.

Nevada Silver State Tag

For an additional $20, you can select to be included in the Silver State Tag drawings, which would make you eligible for the one permit per species drawing each year that allows the recipient the opportunity to hunt any public land across the state — just like the governor’s tag. The Silver State elk tag application fee is $20 and it's $20 for antelope.

Apply in Nevada's main draw.

Nevada Dream Tags

Nevada Dream Tags are another shot at drawing the hunt of a lifetime for mule deer, antelope, desert bighorn sheep, and elk in Nevada. Dream Tags are similar to SuperTags and Super Raffles in other Western states. This drawing is open to both residents and nonresidents. You can buy an unlimited number of raffle tickets for $5 each, plus a $0.75 processing fee, for as many species as you want. You can enter the Dream Tag raffle here.